this is by far the best way for us to go. I don’t know how crazy St. Louis is going to get with matching offers, but who knows, they have mismanaged the situation with him up to this point. Maybe we get him with a long term contract for a better deal than any of the other FS’s we were talking to, I sure hope so. No doubt in my mind, he would solitify our D as one of the best coming into next season. I truly feel,; the addition of him, would give us a dominate defense second to none as long as everyone stays healthy. knock on wood!!!

We can debate weather the bears Tampa 2 defense is officially outdated, but it will be the reality of our defense next year. The absolute key to this defense is a combination of 4 down lineman who can pressure the QB while stopping the run and a very athletic and fast middle linebacker that can help out the safeties by covering a third zone in the middle of the field. This leaves the secondary to focus, not so much on lock-down man coverage, but on CB’s forcing opposing receivers into the middle of the field where there is more support. This is why the injury to Urlacher, coupled with the missed expectations of the D-line last year were so imoprtant. In this system, the secondary doesn’t have to be fast – but they do have to be smart and physical.

So the point is that, at the very least, if we’re going to stick with the current scheme, the importance of fast, lock-down secondary players may be overstated. The best d-backs on the planet cannot overcome deficiencies in the front seven because it’s much harder to keep track of recievers for 5-10 seconds when you’re in a zone. I think that’s why JA and LS have put secondary as a second-tier need. If the front 7 do their job, we may not need as much help w/ the secondary as we think, and if they don’t it won’t matter anyway.

That said, I think Sharper would be my pick – he’s smart (e.g. Mike Brown) – and we need smart back there. But I’m not as down on the safeties we have as many are.

Hopefully Atogwe is ours.

Nice summary of the issues with each. If we can get Atogwe by hook or by crook, I’ll be beaming from ear to ear.

That when we were rumored to be the favorites for rolle he was a bonafied stud safety worth 8 mil a year and would easily make our defense the best in the league. Now that we can’t get him, he’s got holes the size of the grand canyon in his game?

is we spend a week chasing Atogwe only to have the Rams match the offer; and in the meantime Sharper has already signed with someone else.

You have nothing to lose. Yes you have to wait a week to find out if you get him but it’s definitely worth trying. Why not go from seriously helping the D w/ Peppers to solidifying it for 3-4 years with Atogwe and Peppers?!

but, I think Clark is a sleeper and a better pick up than Sharpe overall. He’s younger, and can lay a hit if you remember the game this year he cracked Olsen a couple times Probably the best hits he took all year. He’s tough, has decent coverage, substantially younger, and probably substantially cheaper. I hope we don’t forget about O-line, or pull some smoke screen like last year that turns out terrible. If we can get a safety and get another dominant o-lineman to go with today’s pickups before we enter the draft, we’ll be in great shape. The only move I didn’t like was the tight end pick up signaling that all the rumors are probably true and Olsen’s gone for probably a pick we waste on a bust. He’ll be a pro-bowler with someone who can utilize a big, fast, tight end with great hands who requires double coverage most times.

How quiet it is on here after the last 24 hours. Pretty neat to be able to sit back and relax and be satisfied with the start to FA.

Bears need to go after Oshiomogho Atogwe to secure their safety position. After that go get Terrell Owens

We all know we comes with his issues but he can still play. He’s in great shape and would help your passing game out immediately. And how about Oj Atogwe?? he’s young would be a major upgrade and as a noise for the ball a must sign in my eyes

What you fellow bear fans think??

FS, WR and LG; plus a CB or DT? I can see going after Atogwe as a smart move. He younger and proven. Missing out on Boldin is a big disappointment, I really thought the Bears had him in a swap for Olsen. The Bears need to get, at least, one of those 3-4 positions through FA still. I can see maybe another third round pick to use if Manning is signed away (hoping that happens soon).
As for the Peppers is too expensive argument, that’s just not the case. The Bears needed to replace the departed Ogunleye with someone. Taking a risk on a DE in the draft would have been a bigger mistake. You cannot move up in the draft by paying more money (but you can in FA), so what other option would the Bears have? I was initially worried that the Bears would use the big money ONLY on Peppers, but since they brought in others in addition, that point is now moot.
The Bears are doing what they have not been willing/able to do in the past few years, upgrade talent and make a serious effort to produce a winning team. I will give them the start, but now Lovie needs to step back and simply manage the team. If he stays away from the defense and lets Marinelli have a shot, it might work. I can say I am happy with the moves yesterday and I am waiting to see how this all unfolds in the next 2-3 months.

He is good, but he is now the highest paid Safety in the NFL… There is no way that he deserves more money than Reed, Polamalu, and Wilson.

Rolle signed a five-year, $37 million contract that has $15 million in guaranteed money.

Comes in around 7.5million a year.

Anyone have the numbers available to see if 7 million a year is doable with our cap numbers for the years after this one?

Do you want to be applauded for overpaying a guy?

Not sure what you’re looking for here, there isn’t really much question that Sharper and Atogwe are better players than Rolle is. Does Rolle have more upside due to being a younger player? He does, but upside does not justify being the highest paid safety in the league. If we, or any other team gets Atogwe for less than Rolle, than you got a really raw deal.

Rolle is a good player, that was playing in a good secondary. Not a great player playing in a good secondary.

As far as our three pick ups go, they were the best at their position available in FA, I can’t say the same for Rolle.

cheap Bears never spend any money.

I knew what you were up to the whole time. I stuck by my they will get him and luckily it worked out : )

Pats are pushing real hard to keep him. It’s not like them to overpay someone, but despite their reputation as a “cheap” team, they aren’t shy about putting money on the table for a player they think is worth it. And it’s absolutely clear Bodden is their #1 CB by, and by a pretty wide margin.

So if we want Bodden, we gotta move quickly and move in with a serious offer.